When the first Chicken Soup for the Soul came out two decades ago, I didn’t buy a copy. It’s been out in the market for twenty years, I still haven’t bought a copy. There appear to be free copies in PDF format floating around, I never downloaded a copy. I was never into motivational anything. That’s the bottom line. I’m already perpetually motivated and driven.
But that’s not the only reason.
Chicken Soup for the Soul? Two things. “Soul”, in that context, evokes something religious. So, scram. Chicken soup? My childhood memories of chicken soup are packs of Royco poured into boiling water. The result is a soup with noodles and specks of solids that tasted and smelled heavily of MSG. Wait, was that the chicken? I never brought a bowl of Royco chicken noodle soup to a lab to have it tested. You know, to find out if the teeny lumps were, in fact, chicken.
I was a child. I did say childhood memories, right? And my mother would feed me that stuff every time I was sick. Looking back, I might have gotten well sooner if I had been fed better. But that Royco stuff? I’m sure it prolonged every illness.
In short, say “chicken soup” and I’ll never associate it with healing nor comfort. The association is an alien concept to me because of Royco. It is also a culture thing. This is Asia where the sick is fed with lugaw (congee). I’d understand it if anyone said lugaw with chicken is comfort food. But chicken soup? No, not me.
I thought about all that as I was making a noodle soup today. Both my daughters are sick, Sam is in the condo but Alex is home with us. I do understand that food, like any placebo, can boost the motivation to feel better so when Alex asked me to make a soup, I did. What soup? Not chicken soup, definitely. Even my kids don’t think of chicken soup and comfort food as naturally belonging in the same universe.
When I asked Alex what soup she wanted, she said noodle soup. You know, Chinese style, what we call mami in the Philippines. For sure, I didn’t give her anything that came straight out of a pack. I asked Speedy to buy soup bones (he came home with pork ribs — wonderful!), I roasted then simmered the bones to make a tasty and nutritious broth, then I shredded the generous amount of meat that fell off the bones. Then, I made the noodle soup. With the broth, the meat, vegetables and noodles.
Hello and welcome! I'm a retired lawyer and columnist, wife for 28 years, mom of two, and a passionate cook. What is this blog about? Recipes for dishes 
Vegan chili, chunky and tasty without the meat
I will definitely feel better if I had that soup! :-)
Hope your daughters get well soon, Ms. Connie!
Thank you. :)
Funny that you should mention that, Connie. As a child, whenever I got sick my mom would cook me either arroz caldo, Lapu-Lapu soup or some sort of broth (but never beef–to this day I never figured out why beef wasn’t “allowed” when one’s sick)
However, when I started working in a country with dismal winters, chicken soup became my go-to solution whenever I’d feel under the weather. It worked so well that once I start feeling the nip in the air, I would cook up a huge batch and freeze it.
I guess to some extent it’s the placebo effect, but, it seems to work for me.
Hope Sam and Alex are feeling better.
PS. Like you, I never got a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul. For some weird reason, the title bugs me a bit.
Chicken soup seems to be some kind of “folk remedy” in many cultures. But then most illnesses are 90% cured just by thinking that one really is getting well. :)
Sam is on her way home now; Alex is still coughing. According to friends, A LOT of people have the same symptoms these days.
Re Chicken Soup for the Soul. Oh, I know what you mean by the title sounding a bit off. Can’t decide if it’s the blatant marketing strategy or what. :-P
I wasn’t sure if you had ever heard of our company, but we send delicious chicken soup anywhere in the USA. You should check it out and send it when someone you know has a baby, is under the weather, has a death in the family . . etc. It is the most delicious alternative to flowers!
Saw you on Food Network. :)